914 steering rack in a ball-joint front end

Hello -

I am going to put a Porsche 914 steering gear on a ball-joint beam in a little vehical I am building so that I can have a center-steer system. This vehical, a reverse-trike powered by a Honda Goldwing, needs to handle reasonably well so that I don't kill myself on my commute to work, the main reason I am building it. 40mpg beats 12mpg that my Excursion gets!

It is a single-seater, hence wanting center-steer.

My problem is that I am not sure where I should mount the rack in relation to the beam. Seems to me that in order to minimize bump-steer, the rack should sit so that it is as close to the beam as possible, at a height such that the tie rods are parallel with the trailing arms so that the tie rods move through an arc as much like the trailing arms as possible.

Others have told me that I should mount it such that there is a straight line from one tie rod end, through the steering rack, to the other tie rod end. I think that pretty much guarantees as much bump steer as possible.

Which is the better approach? The only drawback I can see in my idea (close to the beam) is that might accelerate wear in the rack, as thrust from the tie rods is not straight in, although the front end weight will be pretty low compared to what the rack is used to.

Any thoughts? Has this been done before?

Thanks!

Mark

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